Jeremiyah Love’s time at Notre Dame is coming closer to an end. Being one of the best eligible running backs, he is expected to declare for the NFL draft at the end of the season. And without a doubt, it’s been an eventful and fulfilling college football career for him in South Bend.
In his appearance on SportsCenter on Friday, Jeremiyah Love was asked by Scott Van Pelt what his feelings would look like if the Week 13 game against Syracuse is his last at the Notre Dame Stadium. The running back had an emotional response that echoed Jack Kiser’s answer to a similar question after the national championship game loss to Ohio State.
“I think what I’ll look and see is, I’ll look at the guys that I’m playing with, because, like you said, if that’s the last moment that I get to play in Notre Dame Stadium, I want to remember who I did it with and who I played alongside of and who coached me throughout my experience here at Notre Dame,” Love said.
“So hopefully this isn’t our last, you know, go around in Notre Dame Stadium, but if it is, I’m going to look to my brothers and really try to etch an image of them in my mind that I can remember, you know, for really the rest of my life because I feel like those guys, my coaches, and the fans, like they are what made Notre Dame Notre Dame for me.”
“It wasn’t really, I would say, Notre Dame itself; it was the people I was surrounded with. So, whenever is my last moment, I’m going to look to the people and get one good last look of us together all being in Notre Dame Stadium. And that’s what I want to remember.”
Depending on how the results in the final two weeks of college football go, Notre Dame still has a chance to host a College Football Playoff game. However, the latest ranking has the Fighting Irish at No. 9, which means Jeremiyah Love and his teammate will be on the road in the first round of the playoffs.
Jack Kiser had a powerful and emotional message after the 34-23 loss to Ohio State in the national championship game in January that comes to mind after Jeremiyah Love’s words on SportsCenter. The linebacker spent six memorable years in South Bend, establishing himself as a cult hero.
“I think when you look at the six years I’ve been here, what I remember is the people,” Kiser said. “From when I was a small underclassman just trying to learn the ways, looking at a Drew White, Bo Bauer, to being a guy running with my boys in JD and Marist.
“And then this year coming back and feeling like I had a chip on my shoulder and getting to meet amazing guys like Riley coming in and just kind of going on the journey we went on.”
“To have Coach Freeman — yeah, it’s about the people. It’s the people that’s made this place different. It just shows where this program is heading. The people in this building are the best, absolute best.”
After his long years at Notre Dame, the national championship title would have been a great way to wrap up his career at the program. However, it wasn’t meant to be. Jeremiyah Love, on the other hand, will be hoping the Fighting Irish can get their hand on the ultimate prize this time.
